It is of interest in the scientific community to measure the fluid permeability and particularly the liquid permeability of various substances. Usually the substance to be tested is in the form of a very thin disc or wafer which is sometimes mounted against a foraminous support while being tested. One example of such testing is in a paper presented before the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME in Dallas, Tex. on Sept. 21-24, 1980 entitled "The Influence of Polymer Molecule-Wall Interactions on Mobility Control", Messrs. J. L. Duda et al of Pennsylvania State University described permeability modification of consolidated porous media by polymer solutions. (SPE Paper 9298) In the experiments described therein, a sample holder for porous media was used comprising a metal housing having an interior female thread and a male threaded cap which, when screwed into the female housing, contacted and compressed teflon gaskets on each side of a disc sample to be tested. It was not possible to visually observe the sample while such tests were being conducted.
The present invention is contemplated to be used for similar purposes, but to facilitate visual observation of the sample being tested. At the same time the present invention provides a sample holder which is also leak-tight and is yet simple and inexpensive to manufacture and to change the sample being tested.